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Danny Frawley death, St. Kilda great had CTE, what is CTE?

The wife of the late AFL star Danny Frawley has announced that the legend of St. Kilda was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) stage two at the time of his death.

According to Boston University, which has a specialized CTE center, the disease is “a progressive degenerative disorder of the brain that occurs in people with a history of repetitive brain trauma.”

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Frawley was a full-back who played 240 games for St. Kilda, including nine seasons as captain, before coaching the Richmond Tigers between 2000 and 2004.

He was also inducted into the St Kilda Hall of Fame in 2006 and was an extremely popular member of the Fox Footy team as the host of Bounce.

Frawley’s death shocked the AFL world when he died in a car accident involving a vehicle in Millbrook, 20 km east of Ballarat, in September 2019, the day after his 56th birthday.

The Herald Sun. revealed the explosive diagnosis in an exclusive report Monday night when Frawley’s widow Anita revealed that Frawley had lived with depression for many years and said she had decided to shed some light on the finding to “prevent other families from doing this to do what we did ”.

Read the full exclusive story on the Herald Sun.

“His struggles for mental health and his strong advocacy for mental health problems were well known,” Anita said.

“As his wife for over 30 years, I had a strong suspicion that there was more going on with Danny than simple depression.”

She added that the family would not comment further until the coroner’s report was released.

At the time of the AFL legend’s death, Anita posted a statement stating that he had “gotten worse” in the months before his death.

“Many have speculated about the cause and lead to this tragedy. Danny, as a mental health advocate, wants me to continue his legacy and be open to the public, which is what led to this heartbreak, ”Anita wrote.

“Although the circumstances of the event are unconfirmed and will remain uncertain until the investigation is completed, Danny’s mental health has deteriorated over the past few weeks.

“As you know, Danny had experienced and lived with depression for a number of years. But in his honor he had raised his hand and accepted psychiatric treatment, counseling, and medication. He recovered and became the Danny from before.

“The path to what happened last Monday began eight months ago when Danny made the decision to break free from his prescribed medication. At this point, Danny felt invincible, like the true competitor and proud man he was; he felt he had overcome the disease.

“In fact, he felt bulletproof, which contributed to his decision to remove himself from his support network, including his psychiatric care, and no longer work with his team of psychologists.

“The reason I am making this public is because I want this to be a reminder to all of those who have dealt with mental illness and to those who have made advances in their wellbeing that they always have help from professionals When thinking about decisions that affect your mental health, look for health, even if you feel you have fully recovered. “

Frawley has been open to his mental health problems over the years and often talked about his demons.

WHAT IS CTE?

According to the Australian Sports Brain Bank, “Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a seemingly rare brain disease associated with repeated blows to the head. It was first found in boxers a few decades ago and has since been described in American footballers and other athletes overseas. “

CTE takes place in four stages. The symptoms are:

– Stage I: Mild memory and depressive symptoms

– Stage II: Behavioral outbursts and severe depression

– Stage III: Cognitive deficits, including memory loss and executive dysfunction

– Stage IV: advanced language deficits, psychotic symptoms, profound cognitive deficits and motor characteristics

CTE IN AUSTRALIAN SPORTS

Frawley’s diagnosis of CTE makes him the second AFL player with a neurological condition that cannot be diagnosed until after death.

Graham “Polly” Farmer, who played 101 games for Geelong and was the club’s captain from 1965/67, died in August 2019 at the age of 84 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease before it was revealed he was on a Level III CTE had suffered.

The legendary Ruckman was diagnosed after tests on brain tissue performed by the Australian Sports Brain Bank at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

The disease is becoming increasingly common in the NFL, boxing, and soccer. But last year Australia was first hit by two former rugby players, including legendary Canterbury player and coach Steve Folkes, who were diagnosed with the disease.

Leagues around the world have put in place concussion protocols or head injury exams, but the exposure of the degenerative disease has resulted in several players dropping out of careers over fear of a concussion.

In 2018, St. Kilda midfielder Koby Stevens retired at the age of 27 after suffering vision problems in a head fight. It was the eighth concussion in his career and he suffered from persistent dizziness and headaches as well as difficulty concentrating, the AFL reported at the time.

The 26-year-old Brisbane Lions full-back Jack Frost retired after 14 concussions in his six-year career, also on the advice of a specialist.

The 2016 Western Bulldogs Grand Final hero Liam Picken retired in 2019 at the age of 32 after a head blow in the preseason.

Former Adelaide player Sam Shaw even sued his former club after he retired in 2016 with persistent concussion problems from a concussion at SANFL.

These players are just the tip of the iceberg, too.

Currently, the Australian Sports Brain Bank has 250 living athletes who are committed to the ongoing work of the program.

The Australian Sports Brain Bank was founded in 2018 by the Neuropathology Department of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney in collaboration with the Brain and Mind Center of the University of Sydney and the Concussion Legacy Foundation in the USA.

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